


twenty-five

by minttobe_treehill



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff and Smut, M/M, i hate this part thx
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:15:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29012664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minttobe_treehill/pseuds/minttobe_treehill
Summary: "They share a moment, a look that Carlos isn’t sure how much time it lasts, but definitely more than it should for two strangers"Or, me trying to fill up the season 1 moments we didn't get to see.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Kudos: 89





	twenty-five

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully I actually manage to finish this one, ha.

“New firefighters in town”

Carlos frowns. Those weren’t the first words he had expected to come out of Michelle’s mouth.

“The 126”, she says, moving past him and into his apartment.

Carlos frowns even harder. Wasn’t that the unit who had that horrible accident?, he thinks to himself. “And who had the balls to take that team?”

Michelle moves around the kitchen, looking for something, until she picks up a carrot and chews on it, turning around and looking at Carlos, body leaning against the counter. She shrugs, “He’s a total douche”.

Carlos laughs, closing the door behind him and approaching Michelle. “Don’t you think everyone’s a douche?”, he asks her, gently pushing her on the side, silently asking her to let him finish cooking.

Now she’s the one who frowns, “I don’t think  _ you’re _ a douche”, she says, confident that’s what Carlos was asking of her. He just laughs and whispers a sarcastic,  _ thanks _ . 

“His name is Owen Strand”, she says, “I _ think _ ”, she adds under her breath, finishing the carrot.

Carlos’ head moves in his direction. “Strand? Isn’t he… I read something about a captain named Strand in New York whose team died in 9/11”, he says, not entirely sure they’re talking about the same person.

Michelle pursues her lips, “yep, that’s the guy”.

“Wow”, Carlos whispers, moving back to the vegetables.

“He’s still a dick though. Moving around like he’s the boss.  _ I’m _ the boss here, have been for years, he’s a newcomer, he’s not gonna piss on my parade, you know? And apparently, his son is also on the team. What is his deal?”

Carlos smiles to himself. “And how do you know all of that?”, he asks, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

She looks at him like he’s crazy. “This is Austin, Carlos”, she deadpans.

He finishes chopping the vegetables and finally nods, “fair enough”.

-*-

It’s not like Carlos hates the rain, it’s just that it makes things more complicated for everyone. When he gets to the scene, everything is pitched black and wet, his own body already shivering by the damp clothes. 

He only has times to assess the scene for a few seconds before he can hear sirens approaching them, lights lighting up the night. He approaches the truck as the team from the 126 gets down, trying to figure out who’s the captain, silently reminding himself to forget Michelle’s words.

He can quickly figure out who he’s supposed to talk to, seeing a man wearing the uniform walking towards him. “Captain Strand? Officer Reyes, Austin PD”, he says, shaking his hand briefly before starting to walk towards the scene, “Good to meet you, sir”

“Good to meet you”, he receives back. 

He starts explaining the scene and what’s happened when he feels someone else walking behind them but he doesn’t turn, guessing it’s probably someone from the 126. 

He tries to lock eyes with the captain, focusing on the conversation they’re having about the accident and about the victim, Allison Parker, still caged inside her car. The rain is louder and heavier than before, and it’s even hard to understand what captain Strand is asking him about - but even through the rain, he can hear the vans approaching, and takes it as an opportunity to warn him about what’s to come.

“...but you’re about to have an audience”, he says, turning around and looking at the media vans approaching the scene, making captain Strand turn around as well. 

Everything happens pretty fast. When they manage to get the woman out of the car, she starts screaming and asking about her kid -- not the one she’s carrying inside her, but apparently her other son. Everyone freezes for a second, but captain Strand takes complete charge of the new situation ahead of them, and manages to find the poor baby, crying, trapped on the top of a tree.

Carlos stares at him while he goes up, trying to save him and get him down in one piece. It’s only when the mother starts crying louder, clearly worried about her son, that he realizes everyone is crowded around her but looking up at the captain, silently praying everything works out. 

He feels a presence next to him, almost touching his right shoulder and turns his head around, pure instinct. Young guy, wearing a firefighter uniform, definitely from the 126 unit. He’s looking up at his captain, entranced by the situation, mouth almost open in anticipation, eyes moving frenetically, clearly assessing the scene. The darkness of the night and the rain makes it harder for Carlos to see him clearly, to know what his face actually looks like, not just a blurry profile - but even then, even with just the lights from the cars lighting up his face, Carlos can tell he’s handsome.

The moment is broken when a loud sound takes him away from the guy’s face. The baby chair has fallen to the ground, but when he looks up he can see captain Strand has the baby in his hands, clearly safe and sound. That’s also the moment everyone starts to clap and cheer, and Carlos feels a weight leave his body.

TK feels a sense of pride inside his chest that he’s never experienced before, not like this. His life is a mess right now, he feels he’s not gonna be able to keep up with so many changes, with the way his life has turned upside down in the course of a few days. But right now? Watching his dad save a baby from a tree? Feeling that sense of pride in his chest and looking around him, to all the people who will have their backs at work from now on, clapping and cheering for a job well done? Maybe he’ll be okay after all.

He turns to his left, feeling someone clapping on his side and sees a police officer already looking at him, but who turns his head exactly to a place behind TK, clearly caught staring at him. TK has never seen himself as someone shy, that’s why he keeps staring at the guy, trying to decipher his expression, his factions, the way his smile doesn’t falter and finds an accomplice in the eyes of someone else, clearly seen in the way his eyes stay locked somewhere else. He’s attractive, and for a moment TK manages to forget about everything that hurts. 

Carlos locks eyes with Michelle, next to Allison Parker, still checking on her and making sure she’s still stable. By the corner of his eyes, he sees the way Hot Unknown Firefighter gets a bit closer to the captain, and his eyes stay on him and the way he gives the baby to his mother, relief written all over her face. Carlos has to admit he’s a bit stunned by the way captain Strand managed to keep his calm and composure throughout the whole thing, and by the way he sees Michelle look at him as she goes to the ambulance with the patient, he can already tell she’s changed her mind about him.

He sees three guys and a girl go inside the firetruck, while captain Strand stays put just behind. That’s when he feels a quiet intake of breath next to him. He turns around with a frown between his eyes, trying to put away the rain that gets stuck between his eyelashes. The firefighter from before is still by his side, eyes fixed on captain Strand. Carlos wants to talk, yet he doesn’t know what to say. He looks at Owen Strand again, noticing the way he turns around and gives a nod to the other firefighter, a gesture that doesn’t go unnoticed, that seems to have a million words written somewhere in the space between them. That’s when it clicks, even before he looks back to the guy and manages to say, 

“He’s an impressive guy”, transfixed by the way the guy’s eyes seem to lighten up.

“He’s my dad”, he simply says, turning around to look at him, even though Carlos had already figured it out.

They share a moment, a look that Carlos isn’t sure how much time it lasts, but definitely more than it should for two strangers. He can’t look away, and there’s something in the guy’s eyes that tells Carlos the same thing, that there’s an understanding between them that Carlos himself isn’t ready to explain - he’s not even sure he even wants to.

After what feels like hours, the guy turns his head around, looking at the now empty spot where his dad was standing. Carlos feels the need to say something, so he goes for what’s easier.

“I’m Carlos”, he says, still looking at the guy, dying to know his name.

Still holding on to his gear with his right hand, he turns his head to Carlos’ direction and speaks, “I’m TK. Glad to put a name to the surname”, he says.

Carlos frowns for a second, still lost in the intensity of the g- of TK’s eyes. 

“I heard you talking to my dad earlier”, he says, looking down for a second, taking off his gloves, “ _ Officer Reyes, Austin PD _ ”, he adds in what seems to be a terrible impression of Carlos. TK feels a blush come to his cheeks, something he’s not used to, so he pretends to be busy and keeps his eyes on his gloves, unaware of how much the lights from the cars can give away the redness of his face.

Carlos feels a laugh build up inside his chest and even though he tries to contain it, feeling too giddy and not ready to give himself away so quickly, his body trembles slightly and a small smile appears on his face. TK is glad, feeling a weird sense of pride in his chest, very different from the feeling before.

He looks down at Carlos’ lips, completely aware of what he’s doing, and bites his bottom lip, locking eyes with him again. Carlos visibly swallows, and TK takes that as a win. 

“Something wrong, officer?”, he asks him, licking his lips and feeling full of himself.

There’s no time for Carlos to answer, even though the beating heart in his chest wouldn’t have let him add anything anyway, because a voice startles the both of them. It’s Marjan, half of her body outside the truck, eyes lost until they catch TK. “Hey, we don’t have all day, boy!”, she yells, looking at him for just a second before disappearing again.

TK laughs and starts walking, getting closer to the truck. When he steps into it, he turns around for a second and says, “see you around, Reyes”.

Carlos grabs onto his belt and barely manages to acknowledge him with a slight motion of his head, already too late since he can see the lights of the truck disappear into the distance.

-*-

It’s the end of his shift when he texts Michelle, checking if she’s already at the bar. He finishes packing his bag and gets into his car, sighing loudly, glad his shift is over for the day. He starts the car when he receives a thumbs up from Michelle and drives there, ready to relax and have a beer with Michelle and some other colleagues. 

When Carlos opens the door, he doesn’t expect to see TK sitting down in a stool, next to his dad, both sharing smiles and lost in their own bubble. Carlos looks up to the ceiling, biting hard on his bottom lip. He wasn’t planning on seeing him tonight, he wasn’t even sure if Michelle was out. 

When he gets to the bar, he orders a beer, gives Michelle a small hug and sits down next to her. Without realising what he’s doing, he turns his body around and stares at TK’s back. Fuck, he needs to make a move, show him he’s not the shy guy he was earlier today; because the thing is, Carlos is  _ not _ shy, he can be a little reserved sometimes, he might prefer to take things slowly, not to run, walk fast if it’s necessary - he’s had a few hookups in the past years, but to be fair he had always wanted to go a bit further, even if things hadn’t exactly worked out so far. 

“Gotta admit he was pretty cool during today’s call”

Carlos turns to his side, looking at Michelle and chuckles, earning an eye-roll

/

TK doesn’t see Carlos the moment he walks in, too lost in the conversation with his dad and the rest of the team. Mateo can’t shut up about all the videos on twitter about today’s call, and in other situation TK would’ve stayed out of the conversation, but he’s trying to grasp the good thing that comes to him and to his dad; he’s trying to see how much they both deserve a bit of happiness. 

TK still doesn’t see Carlos when a woman with black hair approaches them, someone who he vaguely recognizes but doesn’t piece it all together until she starts talking. Michelle, the EMS captain. He zones out of the conversation after hearing some flirting between them, playing with the straw in his water instead - although he still smiles to himself when his father goes to dance with her. Again, good things.

TK doesn’t see the way Carlos has been sitting on the stools right behind him the whole time, they way his leg couldn’t stop moving up and down, silently waiting for the inexistent perfect moment to approach him and ask him to dance. He also doesn’t see the way he downs the rest of his beer the moment his dad gets up to follow Michelle to the dance floor, the way Carlos has to remind himself more than three times that he is  _ not _ shy, and he should have nothing to worry about if the look the shared earlier said anything to him. Well, that and all the flirting TK directed his way which…  _ Yeah _ .

So TK doesn’t see Carlos until his body is almost pressed against his, still laughing at the way everyone is dancing to the beat of the music, not giving a shit about anything or anybody else. A faint smell of cologne fills his space and that’s when he casually turns his head, feeling someone approaching him and making him harder to breathe. His eyes lock with Carlos’ when he speaks.

“Hey”, he says with a deep and confident tone.

TK tries to play it cool, like he always does when someone makes quite an impression. Maybe that’s the case with Carlos, maybe he did feel the nerves earlier, being too obvious with his flirting, silently hoping Carlos would reciprocate, feeling the electricity coming from Carlos’ eyes right before hopping into the truck. Maybe he still feels it now, and maybe having the first good day in what feels like months is starting to mellow him a little bit, feeling how his stomach doesn’t seem to settle.

He turns his head to the dance floor again, only for half a second before looking into Carlos’ direction again. “Hey”, he says with a smile. 

Carlos’ stance is rigid, muscles visibly tense under his tight green top. He’s nervous, trying too hard to seem confident - and the thing is, he  _ is _ confident TK is attracted to him, he  _ knows _ . But he’s still not ready for the way their eyes lock, for the clear green in TK’s eyes, a green not visible earlier under dark skies and through the rain. Carlos tightens his jaw, pleading himself to keep calm and act cool. He doesn’t want to fuck this up.

TK starts to sweat under his shirt, unable to control it. The intensity in Carlos’ eyes is too much and he feels lost in them, in the way he doesn’t seem able to look away - or maybe this is a competition, maybe they’re already playing a game TK knows too well but is yet unsure how to play, rules a bit blurry after all the pain from the past days, a pain he’s still trying to say goodbye to, a pain that he needs to hide from others, sometimes from himself. So he looks away, scared of what Carlos might see in his eyes if he looks too much, unsure of the power of this weird connection they seem to have, of the tension between their bodies every time they’re close to each other. 

Carlos mistakes the fear with shyness and takes it as a win, heart beating faster with the knowledge of making TK nervous. He’s still staring at TK when suddenly everyone in the dance floor claps, a part of the dancing routine, and Carlos turns his head to them, not because he’s interested but because he needs a second to breathe and gain the rest of the confidence he needs to finally, finally ask TK to dance - just as an excuse to be closer. 

He takes a breath. 

“Do you wanna dance?”, he asks, turning his head towards his direction again, and even himself can tell his voice sounds deeper, but only he is allowed to know why.

There’s a beat of silence and his knees go weak. Maybe--

But then he sees TK’s eyebrows lift slightly and open his mouth. And yes, he’s… Surprised. TK has taken Carlos as a shy guy, and maybe he wasn’t that far off, but now he’s here, next to him, bar full of people, asking him to dance - so maybe, just maybe, he read him wrong. And maybe, and also just maybe, he really wants to dance with him - maybe he just wants a bit of proximity, some closeness with a stranger, body against body that makes him just forget - forget about everything, really.

His mouth opens for a second, looking at Carlos, his pose even stiffer than before. Nothing comes out, words stuck in TK’s mouth, suddenly aware of what this could mean, of what he had told himself before leaving New York - that he wouldn’t do this, at least not this early, that if he was to meet another guy, it’d be casual and - okay, yeah, this could be casual, but there’s something in Carlos’ eyes that scares him. He blinks, still quiet, and Carlos’ muscles grow tighter even though his eyes are still pressed against TK’s. Maybe that’s what gets TK to nod without realising; the way the other man’s eyes are still on his, how they’re almost torn, a sincerity and honesty in them TK is not used to seeing in guys’ eyes.

“Yeah”, he says, and for a moment he wishes he could go back to just a second ago and not sound that strangled, guts twisted inside him. 

Carlos smiles and suddenly realises there was something inside him that wasn’t so sure TK was gonna accept his offer, and he’s also aware it’s clearly visible how he suddenly relaxes and his muscles seem to be able to breathe after long, long seconds of waiting. He nods, and leads the way, hoping TK would follow. And that’s what the other man does, after a quick but long sip of his water and a playful smile on his lips.

When they get to the dance floor, Carlos picks up the dance immediately, already used to this dance and the way his hips swing to the music. TK? ...Not so much. He claps, he turns, he moves his hips, his feet - he definitely tries. He can see the way Carlos’ body moves to the beat, muscles tight and hips loose, the way he looks up to meet his eyes once in a while, with a funny smile on his face that makes his face look younger. It’s… Exhilarating, to say the least. 

The dance changes and Carlos takes TK by surprise. He moves his feet towards him, stepping on his space and facing him. TK’s smile never drops, never quivers and that only sends waves of electricity to Carlos’ entire body. 

“You’re not so bad”, he says, shimming his shoulders to the beat and clapping, mirroring TK’s moves.

“For a white dude?”, TK asks, already laughing.

“I meant for a New Yorker but that works too”, he says, making him laugh harder.

Carlos takes a step forward, still shaking his body to the rhythm, and looks up at TK, lost in the way his feet move to the music. He meets his eyes in the middle the moment he feels Carlos closer and wets his lips, but he turns his head to the side, desperately looking for a distraction that isn’t the gorgeous man standing right into his space. It’s not right, TK thinks to himself, this shouldn’t be happening, it’s his first week in Austin, he just got his heart stumped and crushed by the guy he once thought would become his husband. It’s… It’s too much too soon. And it’s not even the way Carlos’ looks, if it was just that, TK knows he’d be totally okay with hooking up with him and not having to deal with feelings, and maybe there’s room for that but…

“So why did you come to Austin?”, Carlos asks, trying to sound casual.

TK frowns, his body suddenly remembering it’s supposed to move to the beat not to look too weird in the middle of the dance floor. His body tenses. This is exactly what he didn’t want to happen. He visibly swallows and looks to the side for a second, thinking if maybe the right thing to do would be to get out of the bar - but he makes the mistake of looking up to the other man and he sees a quivering smile on his face. Maybe…

“What is this, an interrogation?”

Carlos laughs and TK can’t stop staring, biting his bottom lip. They lock eyes again, and it seems like that’s the only thing they’ve been doing since they met - which is barely a few hours ago, to be fair. The music keeps playing and they’re still trying to move their bodies to the rhythm, but it’s long forgotten now, hips barely swinging and shoulders giving small movements from side to side. Maybe TK can keep this light and sexy. He doesn’t know Carlos enough - hell, he doesn’t know him at all, maybe he’s just a nice guy in general, it doesn’t have anything to do with his intentions with TK right now. So he reaches out, he tries.

TK touches Carlos, he touches the place where his shirt starts, or finishes, right between his neck and his chest. It’s a soft press against his skin, just his fingertips against another warm body. Carlos’ eyes grow darker in a second, he tries not to be too obvious about it, TK’s touch clearly causing a reaction to his body.

“Have I committed a crime, officer Reyes?”, TK asks with a playful smile on his lips, fingers spreading against Carlos’ chest.

“I don’t know. Depends on what you’re planning on doing to me”

TK doesn’t get nervous easily. His mouth opens slightly and he plays with his tongue against his upper teeth, mentally screaming at himself to knock Carlos against the closest wall and kiss him. 

So that’s exactly what he does. He takes advantage of his fingers against his skin and just starts pushing him, not hard, giving Carlos the opportunity to stop him if that’s what he wants. But Carlos just lets himself be manhandled, pushed against the wall closer to the bathrooms where the lights are weaker and people can’t see them unless they really look - not that TK minds, not that Carlos seems to either. So TK keeps pushing until Carlos’ back hits the wall and his hand travels up and up and up until he’s cupping the other man’s face, fingertips grazing his hair. He pushes his head forward at the same time he feels Carlos’ hand on his waist, light pressure that sends flames against both their skins. 

TK stops just a few inches apart from Carlos’ lips and locks eyes with him right before looking down at his lips again, silently asking for permission. But it’s Carlos the one who surprises him by putting his left hand on the back of his neck, pushing TK fully against his body and kissing him. TK moans on the back of his throat, a noise that only Carlos is able to hear - and hell does he hear it, smiling into the kiss. They both start moving their lips and tongues at a rhythm very different from the music, very different from their feet to the tune, more similar to the way their shoulders and hips kept bringing them closer on the dance floor. 

Carlos’ grasp on both TK’s waist and head grow more insistent, more needy, pushing him impossibly closer to him. They moan, lick, bite. They forget where they are. Carlos feels TK’s right hand travelling down his neck, his torso, his abs, settling right on top of his belt, telling him how much he seems to want this. 

They make out for what seems like hours until it’s Carlos the one who moves his right hand from TK’s waist to the wall where he’s pressed against, covered by TK’s body. He pushes himself away from the wall and gets a whine in response.

“Easy, tiger”, he says between kisses, making their bodies move away from the wall and walking towards the bathroom, just a few steps away from their previous position. They don’t stop kissing even when their feet start moving, even when TK steps into Carlos, almost making them fall and laugh into the kiss; even when Carlos pushes the door of the bathroom open with a thud, silently hoping no one is inside; even when TK pushes him into the first free stall and makes their bodies turn so he can push Carlos against the door.

“We’re really gonna do this in a stall like teenagers huh?”, breathes Carlos, trying to get a bit of oxygen before diving into TK’s mouth again.

“Is that a complaint?”, TK asks, suddenly getting away from Carlos, hands still gently wrapped around his neck.

Carlos takes the moment to look at TK, to see the way the green of his eyes seem more intense than before - either from the change of lighting or the rise in temperature. TK is a very handsome guy, even more handsome standing inches away from Carlos, red lips from all the kissing and biting, a small frown between his eyes, playing with Carlos’ guts.

This time, it’s him who pushes TK against the opposite wall, making him awkwardly sit down on top of the toilet, Carlos standing between his legs. TK moans, not expecting the change in the roles, but allows Carlos to grab him by the back of his neck, slightly turning his head up so he can kiss him better. He keeps licking inside Carlos’ mouth and brings his right hand between their bodies, settling his fingers on top of the other man’s belt and hiding them inside Carlos’ top, toying with his stomach, abs flexed the moment Carlos feels his cold touch against his body. 

They’re both hard, and this is not how Carlos had expected the night to go. He had hoped for getting TK’s attention, whatever that meant, but having sex in the stall of a bar? Uh, no, that’s not definitely what he had planned on doing. So when TK’s hand does a swift turn and manages to get inside his pants, even somehow pushing through the belt, his obvious erection tells him it’s really not important  _ how _ he managed to get himself into this situation.

Unfortunately, Carlos’ moan and the guttural sound that TK lets out of his mouth when he feels Carlos with just his fingertips get drown by the loud vibration of a phone - Carlos’ stupid phone. 

“No”, TK  _ whines _ in his neck, and Carlos has never needed more strength than right here right now - even more so when he feels TK hand left his pants. 

“‘m sorry”, he mumbles, already missing the contact of cold fingertips brushing against his stomach. 

He takes his phone from the back pocket of his jeans and looks at the screen, frowning when he sees who’s calling him.

“Hello? You okay?”, he answers, and for a moment he wishes he hadn’t heard himself because the voice that came out of his throat was definitely not his, but a strangled and defeated version of his own.

There’s a beat of silence on the other side of the line, and that only manages to make things worse. TK takes it as his cue to keep on kissing Carlos’ neck, nibbing at every single part of exposed skin, even twisting his own neck so he can reach Carlos’ left ear, using his tongue to lick the shape of his veins, making it harder for him to breathe.

TK has completely lost control of himself, or at least that’s exactly how he feels. He doesn’t remember all the promises he had made himself before Austin; for a moment he chooses to forget all about Alex, about his overdose, about everything that has been causing him pain for months and months. He forgets all about the way Alex seemed not to be too interested in him whenever they were alone, he forgets about his loneliness, all the friends he’s lost for focusing too much on someone who wasn’t even worth it. Right now he just focuses on the way Carlos smells, on the obvious pressure in both of their pants, pressing his own body against Carlos’ and smiling to himself when he hears the other man moan, phone still in hand.

“Carlos! Hey, Carlos, can you hear me?”, someone on the other side of the phone asks.

“Yes, Michelle”  _ Fuck _ . “I… I can hear you, w-what’s wrong? You ‘kay?”. Carlos’ heart starts beating faster, first time in the whole night that it isn’t TK’s fault. 

“Fuck, Carlos, sorry, I-- I don’t even know if you’re-- You’re still at the bar? I don’t know, hey, but uh-”

TK keeps licking and biting and kissing, grabbing Carlos by the neck, his free hand roaming all over his stomach and torso, stretching his green top.

“--called and she said she thinks someone broke into her house and-- and it’s my mom, Carlos, and someone from work drove me here and they left so I don’t have a car and fuck-- Carlos are you even here? I-- Can you drive me there? Check-- Check with me if everything’s okay? I--”. 

“Hey, yeah, I’m-”, Carlos tries to breath but TK’s body is making it very hard for him. “I-- Yeah, listen I’ll be there in a minute, okay?”

_ What the fuck? _ , TK thinks. He lifts his head and looks at the other man, looking for his eyes, silently asking him what the hell did he mean with ‘ _ be there in a minute’ _ . 

Carlos looks at him and swears at himself because  _ fuck fuck fuck _ , the way TK looks right now? That’s all he’s gonna be thinking about for at least the next few weeks. He places a gentle hand on his waist, leaving there even after he says goodbye to Michelle, agreeing on meeting her at his car outside. “Hey I--”, he breathes, not really knowing how to continue because there’s really nothing in the world he wants more than to stay inside these four walls with the hottest guy he’s ever laid eyes on.

“Really?”, TK asks, clenching his jaw. 

“Hey I’m-- I’m sorry, Michelle -- well, my fr-”

“Yeah, I know who Michelle is”, TK says, green eyes still locked with his. 

Carlos breathes and looks at their feet. Somehow, there’s something that makes TK’s behaviour change, because he places a hand on his bicep and hides his bottom lip inside his mouth, moving his head to the side, searching for Carlos’ eyes. “Hey, is she okay?”, he asks, visibly concerned. 

Carlos is fucked. He really is fucked. This guy is hot, and he’s also sweet and it’s been so fucking long since he’s connected with someone the way he seems to have connected with TK, whatever that means and wherever that can take them.

“It’s her mom. She thinks someone broke into her house and Michelle wants us to go there and check”, he says, biting his lips and reaching out behind himself to put the phone inside his back pocket. 

TK nods, “Is her mom okay?”, he asks, still not moving his hands, both still holding Carlos.

“Yeah, I think so, she’s just scared. I’m sorry, I really have to go”, he apologises, more to himself, to be fair.

TK nods again and quietly dismisses Carlos’ apology. He starts to move, dropping his hands, heart beating loudly, not really wanting this moment to go away - not just for the obvious bulge in both their pants, but also because he was having a really good time.

Carlos stops him from fully getting up from the top of the toilet. “Hold on”, he says, and for a second he makes the movement of reaching out to take his phone again, but he decides not to. He looks into TK’s eyes again and realises he doesn’t really know where this is going - if it’s even going somewhere, and he really doesn’t want to get out of this stall with an obvious erection in his pants right after TK rejects his offer of giving him his phone number. No, that’s not what he needs right now. Instead, he reaches out to TK’s phone, next to another obvious bulge he’s gonna try to ignore if he doesn’t want to betray Michelle and stay in this stall forever. He holds the phone in his hand and turns it around, locking eyes with TK, silently asking him to unlock it. TK frowns, but laughs and does as he asks, so Carlos takes it as another win of the night.

He types his phone number and saves it before handing it back to TK, getting away from his personal space - as much as the tiny stall lets him - and allows him to stand up.

He swallows. What the fuck is he supposed to say now? He doesn’t know, so he chooses not to say anything and reaches out for TK again, giving him what hopefully feels like a bone-crushing kiss, tongue playing inside his mouth, insistent fingers pressed against his pulse point as his left hand travels south, giving him a confident squeeze that makes the other man moan.

TK misses the contact the moment Carlos quickly steps away, mouthing one last sorry before he pushes the door of the stall open and disappears, leaving TK holding himself against the opposite wall. He breathes. One. Two. Three. 

When he checks his phone, he sees Carlos has saved his number under ‘ _ Officer Reyes’ _ .

TK chuckles for a second before sitting down on top of the toilet again, brushing a hand over his hair, knocking his head against the cold tile. 

He’s not gonna call him. 

_ He can’t.  _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! x


End file.
